Matthew McConaughey Makes Emotional White House Plea on Gun Control After Uvalde Shooting: "Their Loss of Life Matters"

Trigger warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of gun violence that some readers may find distressing

Actor Matthew McConaughey delivered an emotional speech at the White House press briefing room on Tuesday, telling the stories of those who died in the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The actor called on Congress to implement gun control in the wake of the school shooting, reported CNN. McConaughey spent the opening minutes of the briefing talking about those who died, saying he needed to tell their stories to show how action needed to be taken to honor the lives of the 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School last month in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas. "Where do we start? We start by making the loss of these lives matter," said the actor.
 

McConaughey, a Uvalde native, said he and his wife, Camila Alves, spent most of the past week with the families of those who were killed in his hometown. He showed pictures of their artwork and brought to the briefing room the green Converse shoes that one girl wore every day. He mentioned that the girl was so badly disfigured by the military-grade weapon that her body was identified using the green Converse shoes, on which she had drawn a heart. "Due to the exceptionally large exit wounds of an AR-15 rifle, most of the bodies so mutilated that only DNA test or green converse could identify them. Many children were left not only dead but hollow. So, yes, counselors are going to be needed in Uvalde for a long time," said the actor.

He said he needed to tell their stories to show how action needed to be taken to honor the lives of the 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School last month. “You know what every one of these parents wanted, what they asked us for? What every parent separately expressed in their own way to Camila and me? That they want their children’s dreams to live on. That they want their children’s dreams to continue, to accomplish something after they are gone. They want to make their loss of life matter,” said McConaughey. "We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. A window where it seems like real change, real change can happen," said McConaughey from the podium, urging lawmakers to enact sensible gun legislation reform. He called for universal background checks, raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15 to 21, a waiting period for purchasing AR-15s, and the implementation of red flag laws.

"These are reasonable, practical, tactical regulations to our nation, states, communities, schools, and homes," said the actor. "Responsible gun owners are fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by some deranged individuals. These regulations are not a step back — they're a step forward for a civil society and, and the Second Amendment," said McConaughey.

The Academy Award-winning actor met briefly with President Joe Biden before appearing at the podium, said the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. McConaughey spoke at length about the dreams of the children who were killed at the schooling including one girl who wanted to be a marine biologist, while another had been preparing to read a Bible verse at church next week. Another child dreamt of going to art school in Paris. McConaughey said parents and people were left scared following the shooting. "You could feel the shock in the town. You could feel the pain, the denial, the disillusion, anger, blame, sadness, loss of lives, dreams halted," he said. 

References:
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/07/politics/matthew-mcconaughey-white-house/index.html

Cover Image source: Getty Images | Photo by Win McNamee